GREENFIELD — A 20-year-old man was transported by medical flight to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with serious injuries after he was struck by a car while riding his electric bicycle, or e-bike, at the intersection of Mohawk Trail and Solon Street Saturday night.
According to Greenfield Police Chief Todd Dodge, the injured man, who is the brother of a Greenfield Police officer, was in critical condition Monday morning. Dodge said the Police Department’s command staff made him aware of the crash at approximately 8:50 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
“The individual on the e-bike was westbound on Mohawk Trail going down the hill, and when it came upon Solon Street to its right, the vehicle struck it,” Dodge said Monday. “I’m not sure whether [the motor vehicle] stopped or not, but it proceeded onto the Mohawk Trail from Solon Street directly into the path of the e-bike, causing the e-bike to crash into the side of the car.”
Dodge noted that the injured e-bike rider was not wearing a helmet and did not have a light on at the time of the collision. He said he believed the extent of the rider’s injuries could have been mitigated if the rider had taken some safety measures.
In July, a 41-year-old Greenfield man died after crashing his e-bike into a parked vehicle near the Leyden Woods Apartments. At that time, Dodge said the man was not wearing a helmet or other protective gear.
Dodge said that since these vehicles are capable of reaching speeds similar to those of mopeds or small motorcycles, he hopes to see legislation regulating e-bikes similar to that of mopeds. He said e-bike riders should wear protective gear, even if it’s not required by law.
“It’s tragic and I’d like to think at least some of it was preventable. It was reportedly after sunset, so it was dark in the evening and the e-bike had no light … I imagine that maybe the injuries would not have been so severe in the event the proper safety gear was worn, at least a helmet,” Dodge said. “We’ve had one fatal already, not too long ago … please, please wear protective equipment for everybody’s own good. We don’t like to see this happen. Certainly we don’t like to see it in our own house with one of our officers’ brother, but we don’t want to see it with anybody, particularly if it’s preventable.”
